Image via Complex Original
Any red-blooded guy who likes "vroom" noises and tire smoke has, at some point, day-dreamed about winning a race. It doesn't matter what flavor of speed contest calls to you, be it autocross, rally (the kind with dirt, not the kind with old people and stop-watches), road course, oval, or off-road; you want to drive fast, beat the competition, and get champagne sprayed on you.
There's only one thing standing between you and glory: your 1988 Buick LeSabre with 214,833 miles on it and only five cylinders that still fire. You're going to need something a bit quicker than that. That's why we are here to help you. Taking budget, aftermarket friendliness, availability, and driving style into account, we present The 15 Best Cars for Aspiring Racers.
15. Fiat 500 Abarth
Use it for: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: It may be wrong-wheel drive, it might not be that fast, and it might look like a toaster, but the Fiat 500 Abarth is a ton of fun (trust me, I've driven one) and would make a great entry for the SCCA's Showroom Stock C class.
14. Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Use it For: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: Cheap rear-wheel drive is what every racer on a budget is looking for. The Genesis Coupe is a great steer that features a nice pair of engines. While it might not light your imagination aflame like many of the other cars we're presenting, it's a solid choice.
13. Ford Fiesta
Use it For: Rally, B-Spec
Complex Says: The Ford Fiesta, despite being a budget-minded subcompact, is already making splashes in the motorsport world. Apart from the unattainable Fiesta WRC, there's an affordable front-wheel drive rally car in the Fiesta R2 and the new series of B-Spec (showroom stock budget subcompacts) heating up. This might just be the cheapest new car that a person can take racing without epic failing.
12. BMW 135i
Use it For: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: The BMW 335i is a fast, nimble, all-rounder. The 135i takes what makes the 335i fast and nimble, but does away with the "all-rounder" and gains a bit more twitchiness. With a little tuning, it's not hard to make one of these keep pace with the vastly more expensive M3.
11. Nissan Z
Use it For: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: While the 370Z is certainly the fastest of the bunch, and the downshift rev-matching on manual transmissions is kinda a cool cheat, any Z car will certainly do the trick. No matter what your budget is, from a briefcase full of Benjamins for a brand new tuned monstrosity to a $500 LeMons racer from Craig's List, a Z is worth looking into.
10. Subaru WRX
Use it For: Road Courses, Autocross, Rally
Complex Says: The Subaru WRX represents one of the industry's best dollar-to-performance ratios. Between the versatility of the powertrain and the versatility of the packaging, this could easily be both a daily driver and a race car. As long as you don't have more imagination than talent and end up wrapped around a tree off to the side of a snowy rally course, you should be okay.
Pictured above is a 2010 WRX STi Special Edition. If you're not drooling, you don't really like cars.
9. Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
Use it For: Off-Road, Desert Rally
Complex Says: When Ford's Special Vehicles Team decided to make a dune racer out of the F-150 rather than a slammed and supercharged truck, they made something magical. It may be fairly pricey, but there are few vehicles this side of a $200,000 Bowler Nemesis that can keep up with the Raptor when the terrain gets rough.
8. Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S
Use it for: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: They haven't been released yet, but they are destined to be a racer's favorite for one simple reason: weight distribution. There are a lot of things that can be changed about a car, like engine output, but the placement of the engine and the general shape of the automobile are permanent. Luckily, the BRZ and FR-S have a lower center of gravity than a Porsche Cayman. These cars are just a turbo kit away from being total monsters.
7. Local Motors Rally Fighter
Use it For: Off-Road, Desert Rally
Complex Says: Local Motors is based on a rather unusual business model: The cars are designed via crowdsourcing on the Internet and built partially by the people who buy them. Strange as it may be, the Rally Fighter is proof that this weird business model works really, really well. The Rally Fighter is one of the best off-road racers available today.
6. Mitsubishi Lancer EVOLUTION
Use it for: Road Courses, Autocross, Rally
Complex Says: It doesn't matter which generation you pick; they're all brilliant. If what you want is a car that is competitive on everything from tarmac to snow, you can't go wrong with an EVO.
5. Volkswagen Baja Beetle
Use it For: Off-Road, Desert Rally
Complex Says: The VW Bug (the real one, not the expensive modern one or the previous generation chick-mobile) is one of the most lovingly modified vehicles in all of history. One of the more common variants is the dirt-kicking Baja. It might just be the perfect car for the racer who likes getting dirty and has a limited budget. Being a Beetle, it's easy to maintain and repair, and has a certain lovable jalopy quality to it.
4. Mazda MX-5 Miata
Use it for: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: The uninitiated often dismiss it as a "gay" car. The real sterotype that should hang over the Miata is that it's full of aspiring race drivers. The simple, front-engined and rear-driven layout, light weight, and extremely communicative steering and suspension not only make the Miata a race-winning car, but a great car for learning how to handle a sports car as well. If you want to go somewhere with your driving, you should spend some time behind the wheel of Mazda's finest. Think of it as a classic British roadster with working wiring that's been updated for the modern day.
3. Lotus Elise
Use it For: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: It may not have a ton of power, but it handles better than everything else. On a tight track, the little Lotus will dominate the competition. Used Elises can be picked up for a reasonable price, too.
2. Ford Mustang
Use it for: Road Courses, Drag Racing, Autocross
Complex Says: We've ranted and raved about the 2011 Ford Mustang a lot. It's cheap, powerful, relatively light, and handles extremely well, despite the antediluvian live rear axle. Although a 2011 or newer V6, GT, GT500, or Boss 302 will certainly get you around a track or down a drag strip quickly, let's not forget that there have been tons of great race cars in the Mustang's past. Between that and the huge aftermarket support, it's a great place to start building your race car.
1. Honda S2000
Use it for: Road Courses, Autocross
Complex Says: We were heartbroken when Honda discontinued the S2000. Between the amazing handling, the legendarily high specific output, and high-revving engine, the S2000 was basically a hardcore version of Mazda's already brilliant Miata. This car is all sorts of win. There's a reason why it seems like one in four of these has been outfitted with a roll-cage.